Penny Dastugue is president of the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Some school officials have complained that the No Child Left Behind Act, which requires schools to demonstrate proficiency for students in math and reading, is too rigid and that it is unreasonable to expect yearly progress for schools already achieving at a high level.

Eleven states, including Florida, Georgia and Kentucky, applied for waivers in the first round. The applications were due Tuesday.

Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education President Penny Dastugue said the state will file its waiver application in February.

"It makes sense to wait until the BESE membership is finalized so that the state can put together the strongest application," Dastugue said, referring to Saturday's runoff election that will decide three of the board's seven seats.

She said the waiver process "is a strong opportunity to solidify Louisiana's accountability system and to ease the burdensome and intrusive federal regulations that have hampered our school districts."